Doe's POV:
Just as I couldn't understand the phenomena of a vampire's claws, it too came with a lack of understanding with their wings.
How these huge limbs, each alone measuring close to the vampire's height when fully extended, and the tallest part nearly skimming the floor when folded, tore from their skin from seemingly nothing.
With bones and cartilage all intact, just to disintegrate into back into that prior nothing once they had fulfilled their role.
There were many things that we didn't understand about vampires, most of which they didn't understand either. Given that even Xander didn't have a definitive answer when I inquired it from him.
Still, I stared and tried to figure it out myself.
How the leathery part gently tore away in small pieces from the bottom, like embers flying from a flame, and with a wind that wasn't present.
Just to burn away entirely before it hit the floor.
Xander stood a few feet away, staring the best he could as well, his wings fully extended to the sides for us to both get a good view.
I think he too was trying to find some sort of sense to it, to find somewhat of an answer to a question I had asked half a year ago.
Yet he seemed just as stumped as I was
The boney part of these bat-like wings remaining while the membrane between the 'fingers' shredded away.
"Does it hurt?" I asked.
He kept his eyes on his wing, shaking his head.
"No, which I think is weird," he began, fingers lightly tracing against the skin of his wing near the talon, "These things are crazy sensitive and nearly indestructible, so for them to just tear away like this without any pain just feels... wrong."
"What does it feel like then?"
He met my eyes this time, but only for a second.
He thought for a moment, what remained of the wings bending in before unfurling.
"Like an itchy tingling."
Huh.
We continued to observe in silence, exhaustion creeping up on both of us now that the bloodmoon was nearly officially over.
Once those wings were completely gone, it would be.
Neither of us had slept since the day before.
Xander, because their brains don't let them during nights like those, and me because of my own personal choice.
It just felt weird to me to be asleep when he physically couldn't be, nor was I comfortable with the fact that a vampire with heightened feral instincts would be prowling around when I was vulnerably unconscious.
Regardless of the knowledge that it was just Xander, I didn't like it.
So we kept each other company throughout the night, and then usually crashed after breakfast.
A pattern we picked up around the fifth time we did this.
I leaned back entirely against the sidewall of the window sill as the membrane fully dissipated, and the ends of each of the finger-like extensions began their turn.
The early morning sunlight shining through the window made his pale vampire skin look golden now that I could mostly see it.
My hands absent-mindedly rubbed against the knit sweater I had put on, a slight ache radiating from my upper arms.
I came to learn when certain things were going to leave a bruise, and that spot where he grabbed me was definitely one of them.
So, I just covered them so I didn't have to hear any of his sympathy later.
Nearly two minutes later, and his wings were gone completely, earning a very relieving sigh from him.
He turned back to face me, rolling out his shoulders and stretching his back now that all of that extra weight was gone
"Better?" I asked, grabbing the shirt that had sat untouched since he put it here, and bunching it up.
"Very much so," He replied, catching it as I tossed it to him and quickly putting it on.
He took the three steps forward it took for his to be on the other side of the window sill that I was, "You?"
I just nodded, watching him mirror how I sat against the wall, now that his wings weren't in the way.
He sad with his legs criss-crossed, insuring that there was some space between us.
"I feel good. I can hardly even tell that I had any blood taken."
He gave me an odd look at the response that I thought was clever.
Luckily it didn't last long, and instead, he looked out the window at the sun that had just barely lifted over the mountains on the horizon.
"That's good," He eventually said, "The slaves won't be let out of their bunkers for probably another half hour."
So we can't get any food until then.
I hummed a simple response, noticing that his gaze had dropped to the nest that sat right next to him on the other side of the window.
A yawn took over me, my back arching against the wall.
"I think I might pass out before then," I noted.
I heard his slight chuckle while I rubbed my tired eyes.
They always get so watery after I yawn.
"You can if you want. I'll order us something and wake you when it gets here."
I stared at him through half-lidded eyes, speaking my next words flatly.
"I'm not letting you order me something gross the morning after the bloodmoon."
He scoffed, now looking dramatically offended.
"When have I ever, ordered you something that you didn't like," he questioned a little too confidently.
So, I matched his energy and then multiplied it, leaning forward.
"Oh? would you like for me to list them off for you?"
He grinned at my actions and the smug look that now proudly resided on my face.
He leaned back and crossed his arms, "Go ahead, let me hear it then."
I fought back the smirk that wanted to show, and instead lifted one of my hands to prepare to count them off with my fingers as I listed them.
But the second I opened my mouth, the words ran.
No, I choked.
I choked at the sound of the door handle twisting, causing my hands to retreat to my chest and legs to curl against me.
But the door didn't budge.
At first, a slight relief passed through me, thinking that knowledge meant that it wasn't Layla.
But then I remembered the setting Xander sets the lock to on the night of the bloodmoon.
Where it doesn't budge unless it's opened from the inside.
Still... Maybe it wasn't her.
That thought, just as fast as the other one, fell through.
It couldn't be any of the slaves, and something told me that it wasn't Nico.
When her frantic, hard, knocking came soon after, I had nothing left to deny.
I glanced at Xander for some sort of answer as to why she was here, seeing that his stance had gone completely rigid, all the playfulness prior gone just like that.
His eyes were wide as he stared at the door, something that was more than just worry taking over what was there before.
He... he said that he'd figure something out.
Not that I ever fully believed that he meant it, but I hoped for it now more than ever.
If he doesn't I wouldn't be surprised, I'd learned never to get too close to an idea until it's happened.
To never allow myself to get my hopes up.
Her knocking continued, and it felt like she was doing it right against my scalp.
He swallowed hard before slowly turning to me.
"Get in the closet," His words were quiet and rigid. A seriousness in it that I didn't hear often, "Close the door and don't make a single sound until she's gone."
My brows pinched together at the ridiculous request.
The one he'd been making more and more lately.
Even though it actually worked last time, I didn't trust that easily.
Even if he intended to hide me, she'd still be able to catch my scent or hear my breathing.
But, for some odd reason, it worked last time, and it actually looked like he had somewhat of a plan.
I gave a small nod, and we both began lifting ourselves from where we were.
Xander's POV:
Shit shit shit shit shit.
I stared at the door in front of me, hearing the one to the closet shut to my left.
She was still knocking at my door, now harder than before.
Why the hell was she here so early.
Why the hell was she here at all today!?
I told Doe that I'd come up with something after the bloodmoon, but I had nothing.
I told myself that I'd decide what it was the morning after the bloodmoon. So that I could actually think straight without worrying about it in the background.
Fuck, I had nothing, but I needed to answer the door.
I didn't want her to be mad at me.
I figured I could just act like I wasn't here, but I had no excuse that would make sense after the bloodmoon.
I had absolutely no reason to not be here.
My head tilted towards the closet, checking to make sure she was ready.
As long as Layla hadn't fed from something within the last two hours... her advanced senses shouldn't be working.
The bloodmoons were bad for her for a different reason than they were for me due to her... situation, so maybe even if she did-
Another round of knocking came so hard that I flinched out of my thoughts.
Something... I'll come up with something in the moment.
Something super last minute.
I was good at that.
Most of the time.
Taking one last precaution, I sped through my room, knocking books from shelves, pillows from the couches, messing up my bed, and kicking the rugs to make the place look like a mess.
To make it look like last night was much worse for me than it actually was.
Finally, after a deep breath to contain myself, I unlocked and opened the door.
"Well, it's about time!" She huffed as soon as I was in her view, stomping right past me and into the room.
My stomach twisted at the glare her gold eyes kept on me
"Goodmorning, Layla" My voice came out more sheepishly than I would have liked.
"Alex, why is it that I had to stand there and knock on your door for minutes before you-" Her scolding stopped once she noticed the state of the room.
I usually kept the place pretty tidy.
"What happened in here?" her attention switched.
Thank god.
"Yeah, sorry about the mess," I began, shutting the door, "Last night was one of the worst ones I've had in a while, Not nearly as bad as what you had to do, of course! I tried to pick the place up a bit, but it sounded like you were in a hurry. I'm sorry."
Fuck I should have added some claw marks in the blankets or something to really sell it.
My hands quickly found my pockets at the feeling of my claws peeking out at the sense of my currently raising nerves.
Something that always happened when I lied this much.
With lies that could be so easily proven as such.
The conversation hadn't yet reached that point, but I could feel it coming.
I knew why she was here...
And I needed to figure out an answer for when she asked.
"Oh, Alex," her voice had switched to an almost sympathetic coo, such a quick shift from her previous sentence.
The switch was too quick. Too quick to hold any genuineness in it, but I didn't care.
I didn't care once she stepped forward and her hands were cupped under my jaw, and I melted into that touch on an instinct.
That twist in my gut shifted to a lump in my throat at the contact.
The contact I'm sure she knew that I craved.
But she was the only one I could get it from.
The cold skin of her thumbs brushed my cheeks, "I'm sorry about that, but you don't need to tidy the place up for me. You can only imagine what mine looks like, and we both know I'm never here for long."
...right.
I just nodded as her hands drew back, fighting the urge to follow them.
"Now then. Last night took quite a lot out of me and I need a little boost so..." She glanced around the room, from the cage, to what she could see of the bathroom.
My breath hitched as she looked at the closet door but luckily didn't notice anything.
"Wheres the pet?"
"Oh yeah, she's um..."
She's healing over at Nico's place?
No. That could so easily be proven false.
She ran off during the bloodmoon and I can't find her?
...Maybe, but it wasn't like me to just let her run off like that.
Shes hurt? She got Sick again?
She... She...?
Shit Xander think!
"She'd dead" I blurted.
What?!
"What?"
Doe's heartbeat even sped up.
Dead?! Really?! Why did I have to go with that!?
Well, it was too late now.
"Yeah," I breathed out, trying not to let my panic show, "Like I said... Last night was the worst one I've had in a while. I ended up drinking a lot more than usual and she didn't make it. I... I sent her body out earlier this morning."
God these words felt so weird to say.
"I'm sorry, Layla, I know you really enjoyed her."
She was silent, and as much as I tried, I couldn't decipher the look on her face.
It wasn't necessarily angry, nor was it upset.
"Hm. Well, I guess it can't be helped, I was beginning to think she was reaching her expiration date anyways, but you beat me to it."
What?
"The thing is, I ended up killing the one I bought for last night as well, so now I'm out of options."
"It seems we both are, but I'd be happy to go with you to look for another one. I know Doe was very... special to your tastes, but I'm sure I can find one just like her."
She surprisingly pondered my offer for a moment.
"Alright. You do have a knack for finding good ones, and you're going to need a new one as well for us to split. How's tomorrow sound? I've got to do some preparations for the upcoming ball, but I should be free later in the day."
I just blinked at her for a moment, realizing just how deep the hole I had dug myself really was.
Whatever. Tomorrow is enough time to have something figured out.
"Sounds perfect."